Giving back through a community service club can be a thoughtful endeavor. It can also be a useful tool for promoting your business or your brand and can help you achieve your business goals. At NST, giving back has always been an integral part of who we are. We continually encourage and engage both our team and client partners to help make a positive difference in the community.

Often times, people think community service clubs, such as Rotary, Kiwanis or Lions, are filled with retired people trying to soak up their days with feelings of accomplishment. While a handful of these retirees fill the membership rosters, there are still great business contacts to be made and fun service projects to help the communities where you live and work.

I’ve attended more than 100 community service club meetings as a speaker, guest and member. I’ve been to club meetings with as many as 500 members and as small as 20 members. Each one has a different personality and different levels of activity. The one thing consistent about each is that you will find friendly, outgoing and active people who like to have a good time and make an impact on their community.

If you are thinking about giving back to the community and seeking new avenues for business leads, service clubs can offer some great opportunities.

Here are a few tips to think about prior to joining:

• Attend a few meetings – Check out a few clubs near your home or work. It never hurts to dip your toes in the water prior to joining. Clubs always welcome prospective members with open arms.
• Connect the dots between business and service – Community service can be useful in your personal life as well as your professional life. Examine club rosters that match both needs. Often times, club websites and Facebook pages are good places to help understand member dynamics.
• Find a club that fits your schedule – Part of the reason I joined the Del Sol Lions in my hometown is because they meet monthly after work. Weekly lunch meetings are challenging for me to attend regularly and sunrise meetings are just too early. After work best fits my life and work schedule.
• Relationships take a while to build – Don’t be fooled into thinking that attending a few club meetings will automatically generate new business leads. Building relationships can be like farming – they take time to grow. A community service relationship can blossom into a great business contact over time.

Any other tips to add? Please share!